Named after the Greek goddess of victory, Nike shoes and their familiar "swoosh" mark have won a great deal of popularity since their 1971 advent. The Nike SB Dunks are available from authorized retailers for under $100 but demand has driven the prices up to more than $1,000. The demand has also created fake nike SB Dunks, so it's important to know what the real shoes look like before you purchase a pair.

Examine the Nike SB Dunks box. They have come in an orange box (first and second series), a silver box with a green label (third series), a silver box with an orange label, pink box with a black label, pink box with an orange label and a black and purple box with a black label. Off-colored boxes are a sign of a nike fake.

Remove the shoes from the box. There should be a clear plastic bag attached to the shoes. The resealable bag should hold spare laces for the Nike SB Dunks. An authentic bag measures 7.5 cm wide and is 13.5 cm high. A real Nike SB Dunk shoelace bag should have a solid black "Nike" and the swoosh, with "SB" underneath. On the fake bags, the print looks like it has been painted on. Sometimes, the printing is sketchy and poor quality.

Check the spare shoelaces in the bag. They should be a different color than what's in the Nike SB Dunks. Real laces are wide and flattish. Often, fake laces that come with the shoes are thin and round.

Look at and feel the tongues of the Nike SB Dunks. Authentic Nike SB Dunks will have thick, curved tongues that are "V" or "U" shaped. Fake shoes have flat tongues with a square shape.

Examine the "NIKE" embroidered on the back of the shoes. If the letters are not thick, but are rather thin, the shoes are probably fakes. Another sign of a fake is that the letters--especially the "E"--might not be properly spaced. It's often spaced further away from the other letters.

Examine the trademark Nike "swoosh" emblems on the shoes. Fake shoes have a noticeably thin or thick "swoosh." The stitching that attaches the emblem to the shoes is often not along the edges. It tends to run inwards.

Turn the shoes over and look at the soles. Real Nike SB Dunks will have "Nike" and the registered trademark sign, as well as a "swoosh" and the trademark sign. These will be molded, raised and positioned in the middle of the shoes. If the ® signs are lower in height than the other markings, the Nike SB Dunks are fakes.